Metro Manila Traffic Navigator by MMDA and TV5

Yesterday, MMDA and TV5 officially launched the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator.  I was lucky to be one of the bloggers invited to the event.  At the media launch, both MMDA and TV5 executives were present to share with us the country’s first ever digitized traffic information system.

The Metro Manila Traffic Navigator launch was hosted by TV5’s very own Paolo Bediones and Cherie Mercado.

Personally, I was very excited for this.  This is a proof that we are moving forward and this is what public service is really about.  The partnership between Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and TV5 was able to make Metro Manila Traffic Navigator possible for all of us.

What is Metro Manila Traffic Navigator?
The Metro Manila Traffic Navigator is the easiest and most effective way to view the traffic situation in Metro Manila.  With the information provided by the traffic navigator, motorists and commuters can save a lot of time.  We all know how bad the traffic is in our city and I just appreciate that this service being provided by MMDA and TV5 can help us save a lot of frustrations.

The Traffic Navigator can be accessed over the internet through http://mmdatraffic.interaksyon.com.  Actually, a public beta version of the site was released last June 29.  Since then, at least 6,000 users have been accessing the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator everyday.  I even shared it with friends and told them how impressed I was.

Hopefully, a lot more people will get to use it as TV5 and MMDA launched it officially last August 1.  I do wish that I get to spread the news through this blog.  The Metro Manila Traffic Navigator is a great tool and I must say, it has been a part of my everyday life already.

I was actively tweeting and facebooking last night as the panel answered questions from us.  I wanted to share every bit of information to everyone!  I hope all other government agencies follow suit.  I’m passionate about technology and I’m just glad that we are finally embracing it.  In the panel were TV5 News and Information head Luchi Cruz-Valdes, Interaksyon.com editor-in-chief Roby Alampay, TV5 media head Carlo Ople, MMDA’s Yves Gonzalez and MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino.

With the Traffic Navigator, we can check out the traffic along 6 major roads: EDSA, Quezon Avenue, Espana, C5, Roxas Boulevard and SLEX.  The MMDA Metro base updates the traffic situation for over 60 intersections every 15 minutes.

I love the site’s design as it’s very easy to understand and I love how information was graphically presented.  We can also share the traffic situation quickly via Twitter or Facebook.  Everything is just so simple!

The Metro Manila Traffic Navigator is optimized to work in any browser whether mobile or web and can work in any operating system.  So whether you have Windows-powered computers, Mac, Linux, iPhones, iPads, Android phones or Windows mobile, you can access the navigator perfectly.

There are 3 different views available in the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator.

• System View

The system view shows the major roads in a simple diagram.  It uses colors to distinguish each of them.  We can easily see at first glance the traffic situation as it was presented in a very simple manner.

We have the option to choose only what we want to see.  Do we want to see only northbound, southbound or both?  It’s really impressive that the team took into account everything.

• Line View

The line view is my preferred option as I can see at first glance the traffic situation in a certain area.  It’s being presented in a table manner.  The information is pretty straightforward.  If I want to know more, I just click on the icon.  Superb!  Information is really powerful!

• Google Map

For those who want to find an alternative route at the same time, would want to check the traffic situation, can opt to choose the Google map view.  This is especially helpful for people who are very dependent on maps.  Not me definitely, as I can’t read maps hahaha!

Impressive, right?  I really, really love the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator!  Very soon, we’ll be able to download an iOS application by Interaksyon.com team which will come bundled with instant access to the Traffic Navigator.  I cannot wait for that.

Here’s the audio-visual presentation shared during the launch (for your reference):

That’s my good news for the day 🙂  The Metro Manila Traffic Navigator future releases will include more data coverage as well as ability for users to input data.  Truly exciting!  Thanks MMDA and TV5 for this innovation.

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Metro Manila Traffic Navigator
Partnership between MMDA and TV5
http://mmdatraffic.interaksyon.com